Sporting great's drug descent shines a light on retirement problems

Former State of Origin great Jason Smith achieved almost every success a rugby league player can on the field, but the demons of drugs and addiction waited for him in retirement.

Over 17 years the 44-year-old won grand finals, notched up State of Origin victories, and represented his country 15 times.

But that all came crashing down last January when he was embroiled in a scandal involving 10 current and former rugby league players, who were under investigation by the Crime Commission over drug trafficking and supply.

Smith was initially accused of drug trafficking but beat the charge because of a lack of evidence. He was, however, sentenced to three years jail on eight counts of possession, but was released immediately on parole.

Now, he's in the process of fighting his way out of the dark depths of a crippling cocaine addiction and shining a light on the mental health of sporting heroes in the process.

Jason Smith struggled with drug addiction and depression following his retirement from rugby league. His struggle is shining a light on the need for better support services for retiring sportspeople (Source: A Current Affair) ()

Mental health social worker Aaron Williams deals with elite athletes battling their own personal demons on a daily basis.

"I think its very easy to look from the outside at professional athletes and think they are living the dream, without really knowing what their day to day experience is," Mr Williams told A Current Affair.